


In Good Company

by Manager_of_Mischief



Series: Corporate!Loki [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Corporate, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Business, Businessmen, CEO, Dom/sub, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Executive!Loki, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, OC is a powerful woman, Slow Burn, Smut, in which I show that I'm a computer scientist, investors, tech
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-26 17:50:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17750624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manager_of_Mischief/pseuds/Manager_of_Mischief
Summary: When Analise Oveisi's revolutionary new tech startup catches the eye of both Thor and Loki Odinson, two of the richest investors on Earth, she must make a decision that will change her life forever. Little does she know, her company isn't the only thing at stake.





	1. private Investor decision()

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am, beginning a multi chapter fic when I really shouldn't be. Let's do this. No warnings. It is the first chapter of a slow burn after all.

If this were written by someone else, the following scene may have been presented as such:

_ Analise had gasped when she saw the email. “You are cordially invited to the Judge Business School investor pitch event. Your resume and provided description of your product show that it has great potential. Therefore, you have been selected to pitch your startup idea to prominent investors in the field of technology. This event will take place at 15:00 in the main lecture hall on January 26, 2018. Please RSVP at the link below.” _

_ This was a school full of geniuses, entrepreneurs, and people with friends in incredibly high places, so why in the world would they pick her? She was a first year MBA student with a simple idea. She had no prior experience, no fancy connections, and absolutely no reason to be chosen, but she wasn’t going to pass this opportunity by. _

_ But here she was. As she stood waiting for the lecture hall doors to be opened, she fidgeted with her notecards and ran over her presentation a million times in her head. _

_ They would never pick me, she thought. Look at this poor excuse for smart casual clothing. I don’t look like some badass entrepreneur. I’m just plain old Analise Oveisi. Nothing special here. _

_ The doors slowly opened, revealing the panel of investors. _

Anyway, that was the hopeless romantic, maybe-a-Twilight-fanfiction version of what I was going through at that one particular moment. Truth is, the doors opened, and I walked in with confidence, no notecards in my hand because I had my presentation completely memorized. I was nervous, but I kept it together. This was a wonderful opportunity that I had fought hard to get, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if no one picked me. Besides, my app had already gathered a small group of followers that had given it positive reviews, so I definitely had a chance at impressing the panel.

I walked in and found myself surprised. I had expected big names, but I hadn’t quite expected this lineup. Listed, from left to right, were Tony Stark, clean energy tycoon; Thor Odinson, Norwegian heir to Asgard, Inc.; Natasha Romanoff, lone angel investor famous for risky investments; Bruce Banner, whose past few grants had led to Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry; and finally, Loki Odinson, who had cut ties with his family to start a new corporate empire known to the world as Jotunheim Enterprises. Every student who had been bouncing up and down waiting for the doors to open found themselves in a calm state of reverence as they realized who they would be pitching to.

The panel needed no introduction, but they introduced themselves anyway, as if to pretend that they were just normal panelists who weren’t the biggest names in the entire business world.

“So,” Tony said after everyone had stated their names and businesses, “who wants to go first?”

I was usually the brave soul to volunteer to go first, but this time, courage failed me. After a suspiciously long pause, one student raised his hand. Tony motioned for him to approach the microphone on the stage. The slides detailing his product flickered on as the projector powered up. He spoke for an animated 15 minutes about his idea for a wheelchair that could climb stairs. When he was done, his entire audience clapped politely, and it was the investors’ turn to respond.

The woman next to me whispered, “This is like Shark Tank, but not on TV.”

I nodded in a agreement, but couldn’t respond properly as Thor had already begun giving his feedback.

“That was a wonderful pitch. There are people who say that altruism isn’t profitable, but I disagree. This is something that will help people and sell well enough to make your company a worthy investment. I’d love to meet with you later to discuss further details.”

Loki cut in at this point “What is the cost to manufacture this?”

“It depends on the final design. I—”

“You don’t have a final design?”

Thor shot his brother a look. “Lay off. It’s a good idea with good intentions, and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

“No final design, no production cost, and no real guarantee of success. I don’t really see—”

This time, Natasha provided the interruption. “All right, I think you’ve both made your points. I personally think that it’s a well-intentioned idea with a lot of potential, and I’m willing to discuss further once you have a more concrete plan.”

By the end of the feedback session, three of the five investors were willing to further discuss the idea. When they called for a next volunteer, I found myself yet again unable to raise my hand. I ended up being the last person to present.

“You’re last, no pressure,” Tony said as I approached the stage.

_ Thanks. Super helpful. _

“Hello, my name is Analise Oveisi, and this is Intuitive Systems,” I began, “but it would hypocritical of me to tediously describe my product when its very job is to make intuitive sense.”

I clicked the forward button on the slide clicker. The screen showed a basic HTML website for an online choose-your-own-adventure game. It looked like a relic from the 90s.

“This is Island Adventure, an independent game made by my friend, Janice Lee. She’s a pure computer scientist and doesn’t really care all that much about how pretty her projects end up looking.”

Click. The screen shifted to reveal a much more modernized look for the game. It was still the same functionality, repackaged in a slate grey box with translucent buttons for each of the possible actions the character could take.

“This is Island Adventure, with a user interface generated by the Intuitive Systems AI. It takes input from the user about the style and functionality of the user interface, and designs it accordingly. It’s the same exact app with the same exact buttons and actions, but it looks like it’s something from this era. With Intuitive Systems, you don’t need to be a designer. You just need to have the structure of whatever website you want to make, and the system will make it accessible and beautiful.”

I proceeded to tell them about different levels of complexity and customization, and how those could be turned into different levels of subscriptions to the service.

Loki began the conversation this time, something he hadn’t done for any of the other pitches.

“This is the first and only finished and proven product of today.”

“Yes, but is it really that great?” Tony asked. “There’s nothing revolutionary about it.”

“No, but it allows people to replace a large part of their graphics and UI team. That’s something people will buy.”

Thor nodded in agreement.

“I would definitely put money into this. It won’t be a stunning, flashy business move, but it’s a solid idea that I would be willing to support.”

“It’s pretty cool, but I’m not sure this is the kind of thing I go for. I’m a philanthropic investor nowadays, and while your product does help people, I wouldn’t say that it’s philanthropic,” Natasha explained.

“I’m always up for AI research, but this isn’t exactly research. It’s something that you’ve finished and would like to start selling. Good idea, not my department,” was Bruce’s verdict.

In the end, I had two takers, Thor and Loki Odinson. While some people could get away with accepting both offers, this was not one of this situations. Asgard, Inc. vs. Jotunheim Enterprises was the largest rivalry in the business world. Saying yes to one would be an act of support for them and therefore an act of defiance against the other. I had two lunches and a few days beyond that to make one of the biggest decisions of my life, that is, if either of them ended up making an offer at all.

* * *

Lunch with Thor took place at a chic little cafe in the heart of London. He made an effort to dress casually, wearing a blue-grey t-shirt and washed jeans.

“Good morning,” he said, checking his watch. “It is still morning, right? Good.”

I smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Odinson.”

“Mr. Odinson is my brother. Call me Thor.”

“Hi Thor, I’m Analise Oveisi. No nickname, just Analise.” It wasn’t the smoothest thing I’d ever said in my life, but it would have to do.

“Well, Analise, I have to say your pitch really impressed me. I’m willing to be your first investor so that you can start marketing and selling your product. I know my brother will likely make an offer, so I’ll say this. Whatever he offers, I’ll match it,” he said. “And of course, if he doesn’t make an offer, I’ll negotiate something else depending on what your planned next steps are.”

I sat there for a few moments, still trying to process the fact that Thor Odinson had just made an actual offer to invest in my startup. I had never expected my senior thesis project to go so far, and yet here I was, with one of the world’s wealthiest people offering me advice and money to develop and sell it.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for your offer,” I replied.

_ Here comes the awkward part. _

“If both you and your brother are planning to invest in Intuitive Systems, I need a way to choose between you. Could you tell me more about your goals for the company and what sort of direction you, as a member of my board of directors, would take it? I know this sounds like a job interview for you, and I hope you know that I am incredibly grateful, but I do need to make a decision and I want it to be an informed decision,” I explained.

He nodded in understanding.

“I’m a firm believer in courage, and in putting yourself out there. As I said before, we would focus on marketing. No need to expand anything yet; you’ve got something here and if we can get people to buy it, eventually word will spread. Once your name is out and once your technology is well-respected, I will buy your company for amounts you could only dream of.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent making small talk and discussing plans in more depth. This was how I found out that we had very similar business philosophies. He advocated for flat chains of command and lots of flashy marketing and pushed for more client interaction. Working with Thor would be a partnership.

Apparently, Loki Odinson did not believe in quaint little cafes. One Michelin star was his definition of a casual business lunch. The restaurant was completely empty save for the staff and our table. I had initially thought that he had reserved all of the other tables, but it turned out that the restaurant was usually only open for dinner. I walked in with careful, calculated steps. Something about the way my footsteps echoed loudly against the dark wooden walls of the restaurant made me feel extremely exposed. The hostess pulled out my chair for me and gestured for me to sit. I slid into the seat and let her push the chair in and place my napkin on my lap. It felt like I had entered a whole new world that was somehow reminiscent of the past while being extremely futuristic.

The restaurant sported brutalist architecture with earthy wooden accents, and the lights dangling from the extremely high ceiling reminded me of dilapidated space ships from noir science fiction movies.

“Good afternoon,” Loki said from across the table.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Odinson,” I replied in my most professional voice. His voice was deeper than I had expected, and there was something imperious about the way he looked at me.

“It’s good to see you again, Ms. Oveisi. Anyway, let’s begin. I think Intuitive Systems has a massive amount of potential. Under the right conditions and leadership, it can become incredibly successful.”

_ Under your leadership, I presume. _

“You are a computer scientist, not a businessperson,” he continued. I nodded in response.

_ This is the part where he offers to buy my company for “amounts I could only dream of.” _

“That makes you invaluable.”

I blinked mutely.

“Very few people in my world know their way around technology and innovation the way you do. If you were a simple entrepreneur, I’d offer to take your company off of your hands, as I have done with almost every company I have ever approached. But I cannot do what you do; neither can my people. If you are to accept my investment in Intuitive Systems, know that the burden of its success falls on your shoulders.”

Several waiters approached with the appetizer, which was a part of a fixed lunch menu.

_ I haven’t spoken this entire time except to say “good afternoon.” _

I cleared my throat.

“I’m honored,” I began.

_ My own company, under my control. A potential empire… or disaster. _

“Thank you for believing in Intuitive Systems. I wouldn’t have started it if I didn’t think it was a profitable idea, but I never expected it to go this far. I would be happy to continue running Intuitive Systems as its founder and CEO. I just… I don’t have a large amount of business experience. When you say that the burden its success falls on my shoulders, does that mean that I won’t be given any guidance or advice at all? I mean, will I need to find my own advisors, or board of trustees?”

He gave an almost condescending smirk at that.

“You’ve really never done this before, have you?”

“I really haven’t,” I replied, keeping my tone level. “But I’m a fast learner.”

“As your main investor, I will hold a significant amount of shares in your company, which means that I will have a hand in most, if not all, executive decisions and be the chairman of your board,” he explained.

“Thank you for clarifying,” came my response. It could have been a bit too stiff, but I decided to err on the side of professionalism. After all, the perfectly manicured, stark environment radiated formality, and my instinct was to match my words with the tone.

“Do you have any questions for me?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

_ Is this going to end with me coming up with a great product that drives revenue up, and then you conducting a hostile takeover? Is the press right about you? Do you really date a new woman every week? Which of your companies’ stocks are predicted to rise the most? Wait. That’s insider trading. _

“What are your plans and visions for Intuitive Systems?”

“I see it as the future of creative AI. Currently, most companies use AI to interpret and calculate. You are doing something on an entirely different level. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

* * *

I found myself awake at 3 o’clock in the morning in a group FaceTime with all of my friends trying to decide between investors, or rather, sitting on my bed staring at a screen rapidly flipping through live videos of my friends as they voiced their opinions.

“Analise, this is beyond a first world problem. It’s like, a top 0.001% problem. Flip a coin or something! Anyone would kill to be in your position.”

“Fine. Easy question. Who took you to a nicer restaurant?”

“Yeah, but who’s handsomer?”

“We all know Loki’s not your type, Summer! Put yourself in Analise’s shoes.”

“Make a pros and cons spreadsheet!”

It was sunrise by the time I made my decision.


	2. private boolean confirmation()

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A choice is made.

Although the school tried their utmost to make professors seem accessible and easy to talk to, they still intimidated every student to some extent. They clearly outclassed us students in the university bureaucracy. They were allowed to walk on lawns, give grades, and defund graduate research projects, after all. The fact that I was headed to my advisor’s office to potentially drop out made it all that much more nerve wracking. Thankfully, I arrived on time to our appointment.

Professor Verhuis looked up at me.

“This is… most unexpected,” he said.

I nodded.

“I know. I also realize there isn’t much precedent for this, but I think it’s too good of an opportunity to pass by.”

He let out a long sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. On one side of his desk was a computer displaying Intuitive Systems’ website, and on the other was my transcript.

“I could maybe give you a year.” He closed his eyes and switched screens on his computer to reread the school policy for the nth time. “You are in the industrial placement program, and if I can convince them that your year of industrial placement starts next term, you may be able to get away with it… otherwise, I’m really not sure it they’ll let you.”

_Well, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg dropped out to start their companies._

“I’ll take the year whether or not the school sanctions it as an official part of their program,” I declared.

Professor Verhuis’ eyes widened.

“You could lose your place here if you do that. In fact, that would be the most likely outcome. An MBA from Cambridge University is not something to be thrown away lightly.”

“I realize that,” I said, “but I have already accepted the offers of some investors and selected a Board of Trustees. There is no turning back from Intuitive Systems. But I do realize that this degree is valuable. That’s why I’m asking for a year off. That would be the best outcome here. But if that doesn’t work out…”

I let my voice trail off. I was slightly rambling and Professor Verhuis was still in a state of shock. He spoke only after he had taken a few moments to collect himself.

“Analise, you are incredibly bold, for better or for worse. I would not have made the same decisions as you did. That said, I realize your situation and will do my utmost to let you finish your degree after Intuitive Systems has settled into its routine.”

“Thank you,” I said, then made a beeline for the door.

As I exited the classroom, I noticed a plaque engraved into the marble walls of the building.

“PAID FOR BY THE ODINSON FAMILY TRUST.”

_Me too, business school building. Me too._

I pulled out my phone and refreshed my email far too many times to count. The “No Unread Mail” message on the screen seemed to glare at me.

_One more refresh._

I pulled the screen down one more time, secretly berating myself for being this obsessive, but my efforts paid off.

“We would like to arrange a meeting…”

I grinned and felt a strange urge to jump up and down. Finally, I closed the email and called my mother.

“Analise! It’s been so long since you’ve called!”

“Sorry mum, I’ve been extremely busy,” I explained.

“So how’s school? Ready to become the biggest name in both tech and business?” she asked teasingly.

“First of all, I said that when I was five, second of all, it might actually be happening!”

“Tell me everything.”

“Well, I attended this pitch event and pitched my UI AI senior project and it got picked up by investors!”

“Wow! That’s amazing! You’re doing so well! May I ask who?”

“Can’t tell you yet. Something something non-disclosure until the deal is official and paperwork is signed. Thing is, I might have to drop out of Cambridge so I can fully devote myself to starting a large scale company,” I said.

There was a pause on the end of the line.

“You think the project will succeed?” she asked.

“Most likely. There are no guarantees on these things.”

“Well, I guess I won’t have to subsidize your tuition anymore, and you’ll be doing what you came here to learn to do anyway. I’m proud. A bit scared, but I’m sure you are too. And far more proud than scared,” she said.

I could hear the smile in her voice.

The news of Intuitive Systems’ success spread quickly. The first person to call me about it was Carter, my boyfriend.

“Hello, love! I heard your new startup just got invested in! Wait… ‘invested in.’ Is that even, like a phrase, well anyway, congratulations! We should celebrate somehow.”

Next was my entire circle of best friends, all of whom texted me at approximately the same time with approximately the same message.

“OMG you have a real company aaaaaaaaa”

These texts were, of course, followed by a question.

“So who did you end up choosing?”

I decided to put my new position on my LinkedIn. Big mistake. Soon, I was getting emails from basically everyone who had ever known about the Intuitive Systems project congratulating me on my success.

I floated on the high.

* * *

Thor Odinson’s personal assistant sat at her desk, casually reading a magazine and hoping that no one would notice the fact that she wasn’t actively doing anything. After each magazine article she finished, she would glance up at the screen and refresh Thor’s emails. A deluge of electronic messages would fly in, and it would be her job to sort them all based on importance and topic. She normally didn’t even bother refreshing the page. She’d sit back, relax, and let the computer’s natural clock do her job for her. Sometimes, if the network was slow or if there wasn’t much email activity, she could get through an entire magazine before having to do her job. The clock read 11:34AM. 26 minutes until break. She sighed and picked at her fingers, wondering if today would be a taco day or a pizza day.

15 minutes later, Thor walked out of his office for an early lunch, dismissing his assistant as well. The computer pinged with an email just after she left the desk.

Jane Foster had left her lab while the sun was still out, much to the shock of her colleagues. She got into her van and drove herself to her boyfriend’s favorite café. He had apparently gone to talk with a new startup’s CEO and landed an excellent investment with tons of potential. Thor was waiting when she arrived.

“Hello, my lady,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. Jane blushed. At first, his exaggerated version of chivalry had put her off, but she had come to find it slightly adorable.

“Shannon’s probably taking the rest of the day off, isn’t she?” Jane asked.

Thor smiled.

“I’m capable of dealing with my own emails, you know. No harm in doing the little things. Besides, today’s one of those days I’m actually excited about my emails.”

“Has the confirmation come in yet?”

He shook his head and reached for his phone, but then withdrew his hand.

“You’re allowed to check this. It’s exciting,” said Jane with a smile.

“I find you infinitely more exciting than my inbox,” Thor replied smoothly, smiling back.

Their food arrived, and they dug in, talking all the while. Jane’s newest project seemed promising, and she had already received grants from multiple institutions and a partnership with NASA. Thor was just beginning to explain what Intuitive Systems did when he received a call.

“Is it important?” Jane asked as Thor instinctively declined the call.

“It’s my brother,” he responded, and that was answer enough for both of them.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Analise seems like a very bright young lady. I’m sure her ideas will be worth a ton in the future,” Thor continued. “I offered her a partnership and a potential buyout in the billions. It’s a deal she couldn’t possibly—”

His phone rang again. He silenced it again.

“—refuse.”

Jane nodded. “You’re well respected, and she seems like a down-to-Earth person. I’m sure the two of you will make a great team.”

“Thank you.”

The phone rang again. Thor reached to shut it down completely, but Jane interjected.

“It’s probably important. Your brother wouldn’t call you three times in a row just to annoy you.”

“You underestimate my brother.”

“Just take it. What if it’s an emergency? I’ll still be here when you get back.”

Thor relented and picked up the call, excusing himself from the table to talk outside.

“What is it, brother?” he asked impatiently.

“I hope you didn’t take the news too badly, though it wouldn’t be a huge loss if you smashed your incredibly ugly dining table,” Loki’s tone was bitingly sharp even over the phone.

“What?”

“Have you not checked your email lately?”

“No.” He took out his phone to check

“I’m sure Analise’s rejection was the picture of diplomacy, but it’s going to hurt nonetheless,” Loki said.

Thor barely registered his brother’s comment as his face contorted into confusion and dismay. He hadn’t even read the text of the email, but the preview line read “Dear Thor, I regret to inform you…” and that already said enough.

“It can’t be,” he whispered, mostly to himself.

“Oh, but it is,” Loki replied. “Don’t smash your phone, by the way. I heard you only bought it last month.”

That made Thor want to smash his phone more, but he decided instead to hang up and return to his meal with Jane.

When he returned, Jane looked at him expectantly.

“So, was it important?”

“Yes,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I didn’t get the deal. I can’t believe it. After all that’s happened, she chose Loki instead of me.”

* * *

Loki’s personal assistant had almost missed Analise’s email out of pure information overload. She was taking a phone call while emailing a client, but she was still expected to catch any emails regarding the status of the Intuitive Systems deal the moment they arrived. When she had received the email confirming the deal, she immediately began the task of scheduling the official meeting that needed to take place to finalize everything. The email had arrived at 10:00, and the plans were done before the lunch at noon. Her boss was notified shortly afterwards, once she had found a way to schedule a break into her workflow without interfering with her productivity. He smiled one of his rare genuine smiles when he heard the news, and quickly retreated his office to notify the appropriate people.

Of all the phone calls he made confirming the deal, the one with Thor was the most enjoyable. The smirk on Loki’s face was almost too smug as he hung up on his flustered brother.

“Kelsey,” he called from his office, “set up a meeting with Ms. Oveisi sometime this week.”

The clock read 12:57, and Loki rearranged the items on his desk in preparation for his video conference at 13:00. His suit was pristinely pressed, and his hair was slicked back and neat. The small image displaying the view from his webcam could well have been a photoshoot.

Kelsey noticed Loki’s closed door and confirmed on her calendar that he was in a meeting. Most of the day’s work was already finished, and she had the next two weeks of his schedule mostly planned out. With a sigh of relief, she pulled out her phone and texted her best friend. After only a few moments, a new email popped into Loki’s inbox, so she stowed her phone and dealt with it. Her last message remained unsent:

“The things I do for a good salary.”

The panel of investors that filled Loki’s projector screen in his office, staring him down.

“If you think this will improve your public standing, you’re wrong,” said the first voice. He was a large, imposing man; you could tell even though he was sitting behind an already tall desk.

“Intuitive Systems sells to enterprises, not individual consumers. Their performance will be unaffected by my public standing. Their product is revolutionary, and their team is capable. I did not invest in them to improve my public standing, I invested in them to improve our financial standing,” came Loki’s calm response.

“You know what’s going in the press, right?” his publicist said, taking the screen.

“What’s going in the press is that I’ve invested in a new tech company with great potential.”

“That’s what we’re putting in the press. What they’ll speculate is that you’re sleeping with this new Analise character,” his publicist explained.

Another man chimed in.

“Maybe not. The girl’s from a Muslim family, right? Maybe—”

Loki cut him off.

“Do not make assumptions. Whatever the press ends up saying, I’ll handle it. As for Analise, I expect you to treat her with respect and without prejudice.”

The rest of the board was stunned. Loki dropping his level deadpan for a low growl was a rare occurrence.

“Of course,” the man said apologetically. “We will wait until we have seen her performance before making any judgements.

“I assure you, I have full confidence that Intuitive Systems is a good investment,” Loki replied, resuming his normal tone.

“I think your confidence is misplaced,” said another board member, who typically stayed silent throughout these meetings.

“If you do not trust me to run my own company, why have you decided to pour your life savings into it?” Loki asked mockingly. “Or were you simply too desperate to recoup the losses from your own foray into running a business?”

The group fell silent, and the screens flickered back and forth to whichever board member’s feed had the most background noise.

The first man, who towered above his towering desk, finally broke the silence.

“You may be chairman of Jotunheim Enterprises, but that does not mean that you hold all of the power. You are not untouchable. If our performance drops, if our public image declines, if anything goes wrong, you will be the first to take the fall.”

The screen went blank.


	3. public String read(File news)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Analise sees a whole new world, Loki's world begins collapsing, and I realize that maybe I shouldn't have written Analise in first person but I'm making it work I guess.
> 
> No warnings yet. Maybe some swearing? I don't remember.

The weekend was a jarring shift back to normalcy, as my own pre-Loki schedule caught up to me. It didn’t help that I had stayed up late the previous night on a long email thread with Loki’s personal assistant, trying to find a time for me to tour my company’s new space.

I found myself rushing into a cafe, breathless and late to my date with Carter. It took a couple of moments to spot his head of mousy-brown hair, hiding in the back of the shop in a booth. I walked over to find that he was casually scrolling on his phone.

“Hey,” I said. He looked up.

“Oh hey! Sorry I didn’t see you there. I got you your favorite coffee.” He handed me a cup of cold brew. He was correct by the technicality that it was my favorite coffee. He had just forgotten that I preferred tea as a drink in general.

“Thanks!” I said, accepting the plastic cup and sitting down. “So what have you been up to?”

“Reading business blogs, mostly. I think you made the wrong choice,” he said, turning the phone around. On the screen were the compared stock prices of Odinson Incorporated and Jotunheim Enterprises, Thor’s and Loki’s conglomerates, respectively. Odinson, Inc. rose steadily, while Jotunheim Enterprises was extremely unstable, having suffered a sharp dip about a month prior to the acquisition of Intuitive Systems.

_You should have told me that when I was agonizing over the decision._

“I see,” I replied diplomatically, “but most of Jotunheim’s dip was because of that ‘scandal’ like one and a half months ago.”

“It doesn’t matter though,” he said. “Stocks are stocks.”

“I can see why you aren’t an economist,” I quipped. Carter rolled his eyes.

“I’m a physicist. We deal with the economics of the universe.”

I sighed.

“I know public image matters,” I conceded. “But that was a one time event. He’ll recover, and so will the company.”

“Sorry,” Carter replied. “I’m just worried about you. If this all fails…”

“If this all fails we can live off of the Nobel Prize money you’ll eventually win,” I replied.

“You’re making a fallacious assumption that I will win, and even if I do, that money will only last—”

“Not the point,” I snapped, cutting him off. He shrank behind his phone again, presumably to Google what had happened with Loki and his company.

“Wow. That’s really something of a scandal,” he exclaimed. He was about to show me the article when I changed the subject.

“So how’s the research going?”

“You really want to hear me explain string theory again?” he asked, genuinely confused.

_Not really._

“Sure.”

_Anything to get you to stop inserting yourself into this whole business deal thing._

“Oh, wait, before I start and before I forget, I brought you chocolates,” he said, picking up a box that had apparently been sitting beside him for some time.

_This is why I love you._

I listened as he droned on and on about gravitational waves, the strings that bound the universe, and how objects changed their behavior when observed. There were times when I needed to zone out and just listen to Carter’s voice, and this was one of them. I knew his entire speech and presentation for his upcoming conference by heart, and the familiarity was incredibly grounding.

Finally, when he was finished, he gave me his signature bright smile.

“Ana, love, are you all right?” he asked.

“Just fine! Your presentation is great as always.”

The silence that followed was the most awkward two seconds of my life. I thanked whatever amorphous entity there was controlling the fates when my phone dinged loudly.

“Shit! It turned off silent when I dropped it earlier,” I explained, grabbing it and reading the message.

There was only one notification, but it made my heart skip a beat. I knew it was coming eventually, but the fact that it was there still managed to surprise me. It was a Docusign electronic document detailing the partnership between Intuitive Systems and Jotunheim Enterprises. I clicked it faster than I had clicked anything in my life and read the entire thing right there, half sitting half standing in the middle of a crowded coffee shop, during my date with Carter.

“It’s official!” I squealed, startling several coffee shop customers.

“What’s official?” Carter asked, leaning forward.

“The deal! I’m officially affiliated with Jotunheim Enterprises!”

My outburst was generally ignored, except by one man wearing a suit who looked to be in his fifties, who simply nodded and gave me a look that was somehow both judgemental and congratulatory at the same time.

“It seems you won’t need my Nobel Prize money,” Carter said, smiling. “Congratulations, love.”

He took my hand and held it for a second longer than necessary, then turned and said something along the lines of, “See you next time.” I was still clutching my phone with adrenaline coursing through my veins as he walked off to his car. It was only after a few minutes of walking and calming down that I realized.

Carter had forgotten my birthday. Again.

* * *

“Excellent.”  
 ****

“Of course, Mr. Odinson. Everything is exactly as you requested,” Kelsey replied, gesturing around the newly renovated floor of a high-rise startup incubator. “Intuitive Systems will settle in perfectly.”

“Thank you, Kelsey,” he said Kelsey beamed with internal pride.

The office was furnished with high tech standing desks and ergonomic chairs. Every wall was a floor-to-ceiling window, and the brand new monitors, whiteboards, and conference rooms were pristine. He turned his gaze to the central office, surrounded by dimmable glass, and imagined Analise sitting there, tapping away at her laptop, talking to customers, directing her team, and reviewing her product. He had no direct say over the operations, but she had requested “a brand new fancy office,” and he had decided to take that to a new level by fully equipping her space as well. He had asked Kelsey to survey Analise on all of her preferences for monitor brands, color schemes, desk types, everything. He was surprised that the list he received was quite frugal. The office, though nice, had been under his budget, a first for any company he had invested in. Perhaps it was because there was a lot riding on this deal, but he had to set Intuitive Systems up for success. It was his way to prove that he could dominate the business world, even as the high-tech world began to grow into its own distinct entity. His musings were interrupted by the stair doors opening.

I was exactly on time. If I had ran even the tiniest bit more slowly up the stairs, I would have been one minute late.

“Oh thank god I made it. Today’s traffic was the worst,” I panted as I rushed in, checking my watch. I was wearing a t-shirt from another tech startup and haphazardly clutching a laptop. Loki was in a bespoke suit. I looked down at myself and back at him.

“I tried wearing a blouse instead of a t-shirt once at one of my internships and one of the senior engineers asked me what red carpet I was going to show up on. Never did it again after that,” I said sheepishly.

Loki arched an eyebrow and congratulated me on the deal. I congratulated him back, which I later realized was probably not standard procedure, but hey, he was making money on this deal too, right?

To my surprise, he had complied with every single request I had sent. While Professor Verhuis had refused to give me access to the already-established school compute server simply because I couldn’t prove to him that my code would work, Loki had taken a blind leap of faith and equipped my office with at least a million dollars worth of tech, furniture, and conference spaces.

Kelsey showed me my giant glass-walled office, the many small workrooms, medium sized group conference rooms, and the giant conference room for all hands and board meetings. She demonstrated the features of all of the adjustable chairs and desks, as well as the many technological integrations she had already set up in Intuitive Systems’ new space. At the end of the tour, she led me back to Loki, who was standing next to the elevator doors, tapping out emails on his phone.

“You know, if I knew you would just give me all of this, I’d have asked for 30 inch 4K monitors instead of 27 inch 2K ones,” I joked.

“That can be arranged,” came his reply as he led me into a conference room.

“Wait no, you don’t have to. I mean, actually wait… is that a real offer?”

“Why yes,” he said, looking bemusedly back at me.

“Look, you’re an investor, but it seems like you’ve put in more than just your money on this project, and I really appreciate it. Seriously. But I can’t guarantee that all of this is going to be worth it. I just can’t, and I’ve never even ran a business before this so who knows if all of this stuff will be necessary… I guess what I’m trying to say is: please tell me if I’m asking too much. I don’t need all of this. It’s mostly just luxury. Who needs ergonomic chairs? Who needs standing desks? Who—”

“You know,” Loki cut me off, smirking, “most of the executives I know walk into their new offices and complain that the desks and chairs aren’t motorized.”

I laughed awkwardly.

“That wasn’t a joke.”

“What? Really?”

“Do you want 30 inch 4K monitors or not?”

“No,” I replied. “I want 32 inch 8K monitors.”

“Now you’re getting it.”

“So am I getting them or not?”

“Absolutely not,” he said, grinning. “The idea of it is utterly ridiculous.”

I stood there surrounded by ergonomic chairs and standing desks, not knowing what to say.

“Any other questions?” he asked. His tone contained a barely perceivable hint of humor.

“Not really,” I said.

“Well then.”

Loki and Kelsey looked at each other, then checked their watches and swiftly left the building via elevator, leaving me alone with an entire floor of a giant skyscraper.

_I guess I have an office now._

I sat down at my brand new desk, running my hands over its wooden surface.

 

Loki’s phone buzzed in his pocket as he parked in his reserved spot back at his own headquarters.

“Odinson.”

“Which one?” the caller asked sardonically.

“You know which one. Who are you?”

“This is Michael Peterson, from the Wall Street Journal. I’d like your opinion on a recent event.”

“Very well, where shall I meet you?”

The caller gave the address of a coffee shop. Loki pulled back out of the spot he had just parked in and drove to the given address. It was posh, with floor-to-ceiling windows and plush chairs. Loki wondered if the reporter was a regular, or if he had chosen this place specifically because he was going to be talking to one of the richest men on the planet. A man waved at him from a corner table, and Loki walked over.

“Not getting coffee?” the man asked, producing a recording device.

“I’m more of a tea person,” came Loki’s reply as he sat down.

“They have tea.”

“Take the hint. I won’t stay long.”

The reporter gave a curt smile at Loki’s response, then turned on the recorder, asking for permission to record as he did so. Loki sighed and agreed to it. He needed more press from his perspective, and he knew it. Having recorded proof of him speaking his side would be a great PR boon if he could pull it off.

The questions started out simple. Things like “What do you see in the future of Jotunheim Enterprises?” and “Describe your reasoning behind your most recent acquisition of Intuitive Systems?” He fielded those questions well, as he had been trained by his PR team and had common sense about what to say and what not to. He discussed the future of technology, and how he was moving with the current market to stay up to date. He hinted at some new clean energy ventures and other modern-sounding buzzwords, ending with the idea that Jotunheim Enterprises was not going anywhere. The reporter nodded the whole way through.

“Is that all?” Loki asked once the standard barrage of questions ended. “This is repeat content from your profile of me several months ago, with the addition of the Intuitive Systems question.”

The reporter smiled, with a twinkle in his eye.

“No, that was just the warmup.”

Loki arched an eyebrow, and the reporter pulled out a new question sheet. Loki tried to subtly lean to see what was on the paper, but the reporter shifted slightly to block his view.

“I understand that you think you can corner the market ahead of Asgard, Inc., if you could capture the tech market first.”

Loki nodded slowly.

“Do you think this is still a viable strategy now that—while this is still pending to be published, I’m sure you know about it already—Asgard, Inc. has merged with the green tech empire Stark Industries?”

Loki’s face went sheet white as he tried to compose himself.

“Well I must say that’s news to me,” he replied stiffly.

* * *

My phone buzzed as I fired up my laptop, preparing to update my team that the office was ready for move-in. I glanced at the notification. It was from the Wall Street Journal app. I ignored it and finished my emails.

Little did I know, across the Atlantic Ocean, Stark Tower’s iconic lettering was being taken down and replaced with classic gold lettering reading “Asgard, Incorporated.”

**Author's Note:**

> And yes, the chapters are named in pseudocode. Because why not?


End file.
